Giblet Stock

1. Remove paper bag of turkey giblets from neck cavity of turkey
2. Place in stock pan along with 1-2 onions peeled and quartered, 1 carrot, 3-4 ribs of celery, 1-2 bay leaves and 2 teaspoons Shirley J Chicken Bouillon.
3. Cover with water (approx. 1-2 quarts).
4. Bring to a slow boil, reduce heat to a slow simmer, maintaining approx water level.
5. Simmer 5-6 hours (generally the amount of time the turkey is cooking).
6. Taste. If stronger poultry flavor is needed add SJ Chicken Bouillon.
7. If desired remove meat from neck etc. dice small and add to finished gravy or to stuffing.
8. Use the resulting stock in gravy. Stuffing or save for soup. Freezes well.

Giblet Gravy

Method A (traditional pan gravy)
1. Remove turkey from roaster and set aside.
2. Dump drippings into measuring pitcher or glass bowl and place in freezer for 5-10 minutes.
3. Remove fat from top of drippings measure, and place the fat back into roasting pan.
4. ¼ cup of fat will equal approx 2 cups of finished gravy, so determine how much gravy you desire and place the needed amount of turkey fat back into the original roaster, supplementing with melted butter if needed. A normal serving of gravy is about 3 ounces for meat and potatoes.
5. Render fat till all of the water is gone, add flour and stir; cook for approx 1 minute to “cook” the flour.
6. Add reserved turkey pan stock slowly at the rate of 2 cups per ¼ cup of turkey fat used in #5 above. If you don’t have enough pan stock use giblet stock (see giblet stock recipe). Slowly stir and cook until gravy thickens and comes to a boil. Simmer for 10-15 minutes to cook out the roux.
7. Season as needed with salt and pepper. If stronger turkey flavor is needed add Shirley J Chicken Bouillon.
8. To darken gravy (if the color is too light) sparingly add kitchen bouquet a drop at a time.

Roasting Turkey

1. Select a plump turkey in the size range that fits your family needs. A good rule of thumb when selecting a turkey is 1# of raw turkey per person. This takes into account the shrinkage and waste factors but will allow for only minimal leftovers. If leftovers are desired plan accordingly.
2. A larger turkey will yield slightly more usable meat per raw# than will a small bird.
3. Thaw turkey in refrigerator for 3-4 days prior to cooking.
4. Remove packaging and rinse bird in cool water, removing the packaged giblets from the neck cavity. Pat the turkey dry with a paper towel.
5. Place turkey, breast side up, on a roasting rack in a heavy bottomed roasting pan. Rub salt, pepper and Shirley J Onion Seasoning into the skin and cavity of the turkey. If you do not have a roasting rack place a few carrots under the turkey to aid in air circulation.
6. Place chunks of carrots celery and onions inside the cavity of the turkey (if cooking an un stuffed turkey).
7. For more moist turkey and one that requires little basting place turkey breast side down in the roasting pan. The downside to this method is that the turkey skin will not be crisp and browned.
8. Stuffing may be added to the cavity of a roasted turkey however caution should be taken to increase cooking time accordingly. Stuffing a turkey will also reduce the drippings in the pan which are used for gravy.
9. Always wash hands thoroughly before and after handling uncooked turkey or poultry and do not use turkey preparation area for other food prep until the area is sanitized.
10. Place a foil tent loosely over the turkey, tucking the sides of the foil into the pan
11. Cook turkey choosing one of the following methods:
• Traditional method—At 325 degrees allowing approx 25 minutes of cooking time per pound of thawed turkey. Use a quick read thermometer to ensure that turkey reaches 185-190 degrees when inserted in the thigh region, do not let probe touch bone as an inaccurate reading will result. Remove foil during the last half hour of roasting if desired to brown the skin.
• Slow method—Sear turkey in oven at 425 degrees for 20 minutes then reduce oven heat to 250 degrees following above cooking times and methods with the noted exception that cooking time will need to increase by 20 additional minutes per pound making total cook time approx. 40-45 minutes per pound. This method produces a very moist turkey, especially when cooked breast side down.
• Note all cooking times are approximate. Turkey cooking times can vary widely; always ensure proper cooking by using a probe thermometer.
12. If your turkey is done too early it may be easily held warm by wrapping it tightly in foil and placing in a warm (160 degree) oven—or—you can place it, tightly wrapped in foil on your countertop wrapped entirely in a large bath towel. This method will keep turkey warm for up to 2 hours. Do not exceed 2 hours.